Pages

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt

I picked up this book before I knew that it was based on
actual events. I’m really glad for that,
because I like to think of this book as a good story first and foremost, rather
than a true story. This one is about
Turner Buckminster, a preacher’s son, and how he adapts to being the new kid in
town in a very small Maine community.

It actually took me a few chapters before I realized that
the book was set in the 1800s, and I guess that’s because I felt like I could
identify with Turner. We’ve all been the
new guy at some point, and it’s easy to feel empathy for someone who’s picked
on and left out. Eventually, Turner
makes friends with one particular little girl in town, whose name is Lizzie
Bright.

Here’s where the problem lies: Lizzie is black, and at this point in
history, blacks are still treated like second-class citizens. By befriending Lizzie, Turner quickly becomes
an outcast himself. During the course of
the book, Turner gets caught up in the middle of the town’s plan to relocate
the black families out of the area for a real estate development project.

I won’t spoil the ending here, but this one is definitely
worth reading. I like these “Man vs.
Society” types of conflict, where it seems like the entire world is against one
person. Is there any way at all for the
lone person to win this type of conflict?
How do you think that you would you behave if you found yourself in a
situation where it seemed like everyone was against you?